Pages

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

I have always shied away from New Year's Resolutions. In fact, you might say my only resolution was to not make any resolutions! But this year I feel differently. I have come to the important decision that my status quo is not working to my advantage. I need to treat myself differently.

It should be no surprise as to what has inspired this radical thought. Fans of Richard Armitage have no doubt already read this quote in an interview with DaMan magazine.

Simple words, which at once resonated with me as a clear path that was eminently doable with immediate positive results guaranteed.

1. Read More.
This one may seem surprising as I am reading all the time. But I am not reading what I should be reading. I have piles of books and magazines which I ignore in favour of the long line up of emails and Facebook posts which grab most of my attention. I am reading some articles online but it is more of a free for all, than a desired choice. I feel like I need to get some control over the chaos that is my online experience so that I have more time to delve into my backlog of reading material.
Really, I should admit that I am mostly distracted by my online games. I have been addicted to The Sims for a couple of years now, and just lately a fashion game called Covet. I do enjoy playing Song Pop, that one is not an addiction but a real joy and learning experience.
Then there is the old stand by Solitaire, and even BeJewelled. Must. Stop. Playing. Games.! Big waste of time! (Except for Song Pop!)

2. Dream More.
Yes. Of course. Just time to sit and think. Plan for the future. See what could be - then make it happen.
But also, literally - dream more. Just go to bed and sleep, perchance to dream!
I have a nasty habit of staying up too late and depriving myself of sleep which is getting harder to deal with the older I get. I have blogged about this problem before in this post: It's Half-past Phylly's Bedtime. (Jan.2011)

3. Smile More.
Here's one I don't think I have a problem with. I do smile a lot. And I do like to smile at people for no particular reason. Most people do smile back too. That always makes it worthwhile.
But I learned a couple of ocasions when smiling works when people can't even see your smile.

I've been at my new school for a whole year now, and I was getting ribbed for not changing the phone message from the previous librarian's voice mail message. The phone was giving me issues and I couldn't figure it out, and then I was just too busy to think about it. But finally I decided it had to be changed, and I got the secretary's help to figure it out. So there I was trying to record my message, and of course, I hated the sound of my voice. Then I remembered that someone had suggested to smile while saying your message. And what a difference it made! Truly amazing!

Here is my other instance:
Awhile ago I was posing for a new driving licence photo. You are not supposed to smile. That usually means a disappointing photo. But the very kind lady at the Ministry of Transportation office luckily had some time on her hands, and a critical eye. She said, that wasn't so good, let's try again. When the next try just looked sad, she told me that even though I couldn't smile, I should think happy thoughts and try smiling in my head. Thinking her a bit silly, I did as directed and when presented with the photographic evidence I was astounded! A huge difference!

So even thinking about smiling is a very good thing. (Plus it makes us better looking!) Win win!

4. Eat Less.
This should go without saying but it is definitely a big one for me. I have always had a very healthy appetite. In my family wasting food was a huge sin. But my mother also controlled our portions meticulously so the only time we were allowed to over-indulge were holiday times and vacation trips.
I was not an overweight child, but as soon as I got away from "the nest" it was open season on all kinds of previously unavailable goodies. Needless to say, I packed on the pounds steadily until today even I cannot deny that my weight has had adverse effects on my health.
This holiday season began with my husband and son coming down with a nasty stomach flu. I didn't get it right away but when it did strike it was a doozy. I thought I was getting better, but then it struck again! I only started feeling human the other day. So what did I do? Let's just say it seemed like I was trying to consume all the yummy goodness I had been unable to stomach for a week, but all in one day! So tonight I missed going out for a New Year's Eve party because of more nasty stomach issues (the opposite of before). As I tried to describe it to my husband, it felt like I was trying to pass a reindeer - antlers first!

5. Complain Less.
Another toughie. Complaining is kind of fun actually. And useful sometimes too. But nobody wants to hear it. So I will just try to remain positive about it. Hmmm... just complain for positive reasons? How about entertainment purposes? That should be allowable!

6. Frown Less.
Yes! Because who wants frown lines? Really! That is something I could complain about! But I will not....

And I must add my own to this list:

7. Sing more! (Try and stop me!)8. Write more. (Not making any promises...)9. Move more. (And now I must get up from this computer chair and do something more productive...)10. Appreciate more. (Thank you dear readers. I hope you have a fabulous new year!)